Where can I get the vaccine?
You should contact your health care provider to ask if they will be getting the novel H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available.  If you do not have a health care provider, but would like to get the vaccine, you should contact  your local health department or district responsible for coordinating and organizing vaccination sites in your community.  You can find that local health department or district by going to www.ct.gov/dph/mda or by calling 211.

 

There is no cost for the vaccine itself – it’s being provided free-of-charge by the federal government; however, private health care providers may charge an administrative fee to give you the vaccine, which is covered by most medical insurance plans.

 

 

Who should get the novel H1N1 vaccine?
We expect that there will be a limited supply of vaccine when it first becomes available.  Certain groups of people should get the vaccine first because they are most at risk for novel H1N1 flu.  These target groups include pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel who work directly with patients, people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old, and people aged 25 through 64 years of age who are at higher risk for novel H1N1 because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems. 

 

As more vaccine is made, it will become available to those people who are not in the target groups.  Current studies show that people who are over the age of 65 are less likely to get novel H1N1 than younger people.  Once there is more vaccine, people over the age of 65 should get the vaccine as well.

 

Are there some people who should not get the novel H1N1 vaccine?
Yes, people who have a severe (life-threatening) allergy to chicken eggs or to any other substance in the vaccine should not be vaccinated.

 

 

It is important for a pregnant woman to get the novel H1N1 influenza vaccine as well as a seasonal influenza vaccine.  A pregnant woman who gets any type of flu is at risk for serious complications and hospitalization.  Many pregnant women who are otherwise healthy have become very sick by the novel H1N1 influenza virus.  Compared to other people, more pregnant women who get the novel H1N1 influenza virus have been hospitalized and very sick.  While hand washing, staying away from sick people, and other steps can help to protect pregnant women from the flu, getting the vaccine is the best way to protect against the flu.

 

 

Is there a certain kind of flu vaccine that pregnant women should get?  Are there flu vaccines that pregnant women should not get?

There are two types of flu vaccine.  Pregnant women should get the "flu shot"— a vaccine that is given with a needle, usually in the arm.  The flu shot is approved for use in pregnant women.

 

The other type of flu vaccine — nasal-spray flu vaccine—is not currently approved for use in pregnant women.  This vaccine is made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu. LAIV (FluMist®) is approved for use in healthy people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.

 

Pregnant women should not receive the live nasal spray influenza vaccine but family and household members and other close contacts of pregnant women (including healthcare personnel) who are 2 through 49 years old, healthy and not pregnant may receive live nasal spray vaccine.

 

 

Will the novel H1N1 vaccines that are now being recommended contain adjuvants?  
No.  Some vaccines contain “adjuvants,” which are added to the vaccine to make it work better.  The current recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for novel H1N1 influenza vaccines are for vaccines without adjuvants.  This includes all of the novel H1N1 and seasonal influenza vaccines that will be available for children and adults in both the injectable (shot) and nasal spray formulations.  None of these influenza vaccines will contain adjuvants.

 

Will the novel H1N1 influenza vaccine contain thimerosal?
The novel H1N1 influenza vaccines that the federal Food and Drug Administration is approving will come in different forms. Some will come in multi-dose vials and will contain thimerosal as a preservative (makes the vaccine last longer in the vial). Multi-dose vials of seasonal influenza vaccine also contain thimerosal to prevent the vial from becoming contaminated after it is opened.

 

Some novel H1N1 influenza vaccines will be available in single-dose units, which will not need to use thimerosal as a preservative. Also, the live-attenuated nasal spray version of the vaccine is made in single-units and will not contain thimerosal. You can learn more about thimerosal online by going to www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/thimerosal_qa.htm.

 

What should I do if I get sick with flu-like symptoms before I get vaccinated?
Anyone with a fever (temperature higher than 100°) AND a cough or sore throat should stay home from work or school for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone without use of fever-reduced medications (e.g. Tylenol, ibuprofen).  Wash your hands frequently.  Always cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.  Call your health care provider if you are sick enough that you would normally see a health care provider.  Use the same judgment you would use during a normal flu season.  If you would not usually see a health care provider for the symptoms you have now, you do not need to see a health care provider.  You should not go to the hospital for mild illness, but anyone with severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, should seek health care and treatment immediately.

 

Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them.

Are there other ways to prevent the spread of illness?
Take everyday actions to stay healthy.

 

Only those people with laboratory-confirmed novel H1N1 influenza, meaning that a sample was tested at a laboratory and found to be positive for novel H1N1 influenza, are believed to be protected from novel H1N1 influenza and do not need to get the vaccine.  You may still need a seasonal influenza vaccine, so check with your health care provider who did the novel H1N1 influenza test.

 

Do those that have been previously vaccinated against the 1976 swine influenza need to get vaccinated against the novel H1N1 influenza?

The 1976 swine flu virus and the novel H1N1 virus are different enough that it is unlikely a person vaccinated in 1976 will have full protection from the novel H1N1 flu.  People vaccinated in 1976 should still be given the novel H1N1 vaccine.

 

I am a health care provider, how can I get the novel H1N1 vaccine for my patients?
Health care providers who are interested in getting the novel H1N1 vaccine for their patients should pre-register with the Department of Public Health as soon as possible.  Providers can get information and forms for pre-registration online at www.ct.gov/ctfluwatch/providers or by calling 860-509-7929.

 

 

 

Download Novel H1N1 Influenza Vaccine FAQs as a PDF.